Homecooked Love
by Fortune Lady Diviney
Summary: Feeling a bit neglected as more and more girls begin to occupy Shirou's time, Taiga-sensei takes it upon herself to arrange some alone time with her favorite pupil.
1. Breakfast

"Shirouuuuuuuuuu!" Taiga yelled as she ripped open the Emiya Manor's front door with an abnormal amount of force. "Is breakfast ready yet?" The manor's young cook did not respond, his mind completely focused on crafting a magical meal for the small horde of young women who had begun frequenting his home since the days of the Fifth Holy Grail War. It was a subtle balancing act to keep all of the conflicting personalities of his friends in check, but Shirou Emiya would have it no other way. Years ago it had just been him and Taiga day after day, but as of late others come to join the household, Sakura being the first, adding variety to the insanity that was the manor's dining room. Though chaotic, and often violent, at times, it was a lively existence for all involved.

Taiga, unhappy with the lack of attention paid to her greeting, crept along the short hallway connecting the entranceway to the dining room, making sure to treed lightly as to not alert Shirou to her rather conspicuous presence. Then, armed raised to the ceiling and her lungs poised for another boisterous greeting, Taiga burst into the dining room without a second thought, a Taiga trademark to say the least. "Shir..." Her greeting was soon silenced as Taiga, having misjudged the placement of her left foot in regard to the rest of the world, tripped, causing her to fall face first with a mighty THUD onto the hard tatami mats that made up the dining rooms floor. Though not the greeting she had in mind, Taiga's display of acrobatic mastery nonetheless caught Shirou's attention.

"Are you ok, Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked while abandoning the food currently simmering in the kitchen behind him. The kind soul he was, Shirou offered a hand and smile to his fallen friend.

"I'm fine, really." Taiga rubbed her head and blushed out embarrassment for her little pratfall. "But more importantly, is breakfast ready yet?" Taiga Fujimaura had many loves in her life. But first and foremost, her heart lie in her stomach and she enjoyed nothing more then a good meal.

"Oh Fuji-nee... It will be ready in a few minutes" Shirou sighed before returning to finish the morning's meal. Having recovered from her brush from an embarrassing incident Taiga soon took her usual spot at the dining table in front of the manor's TV. Normally the rest of the table would be surrounded by a bevy of young girls all fighting over anything and everything. But this morning only the sound sizzling of food on the kitchen stove wafted through the Emiya manor.

"Shirou, where are Tohsaka-san and Sakura-chan?" Taiga inquired.

"Oh...I forgot. They both said they'd be going into school early today. So it will be just the two of us today." Shirou said while finally placing a meal of fish and rice upon the shared dining space. For awhile both teacher and student sat in silence. It had been ages since the two of them had shared a meal without the benefit of others to strike up a conversation or two. It was these same girls that Taiga had fought so hard against staying under the same roof as Shirou. Kiritsugi had bestowed upon her the duty of protecting Shirou and guiding him along the right path, and, as far as she was concerned, it was not a path that involved having a small harem of women living under the same roof as the boy she was tasked to protect. Though Saber and Rin had both proven themselves to be good and upstanding young women, somewhere in Taiga's heart she still missed the days when it was just her and Shirou whiling away the days practicing kendo and talking about school and other silly things. Taiga sighed nostalgically as she poked at the bowl of rice sitting before her. "Is something wrong?" Shirou inquired.

"I'm fine," Taiga once more sighed. "Just thinking about the old days." Taiga smiled. The little boy who had constantly said he was going to be a defender of justice had grown into a fine young man who held others above himself and would do anything for a friend in need. In many ways he had begun to resemble his adoptive father, a man Taiga had fostered quite the school girl crush in years past. "You've really grown lately." Taiga said, still indulging in nostalgia. "I guess it just means that your at that age where you'd rather spend more time other girls."

"Don't be silly, Fuji-nee." Shirou spoke while setting aside his rice for a moment. "Your like family to me, I'm not going to abandon you just because I have a girlfriend or something. And if you want to hang out together more you just have to ask." Shirou was as sweet as ever and always did wonders to calm Taiga in moments of extreme emotion.

Her vigor returned by her young ward's words, Taiga devoured what remained of her breakfast and quickly demanded seconds. "You better keep that promise." Taiga said her face twisted into a sort of amused pout. Shirou nodded in the positive.


	2. Lunch break

The red haired youth know as Emiya Shirou nervously watched the classroom's generic black and white clock. With every passing second an anxious feeling grips his heart as it beats faster and faster. Why things had come to this were quite clear. Just days before he had promised Fujimaura Taiga he would gladly spend time alone with her someday. What he hadn't expected was to be fulfilling his promise so soon. Just this morning Tagia, bubbly as ever, had offered a simple plan, they would spend their shared lunch period at school together. He would normally spent such a time with Issei in the the student council or Rin on the school's roof, but the prospect of being alone with Taiga made him nervous in a way profoundly different then being around the small harem of pretty girls that had taken up residence in the Emiya manor since the days of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Taiga was something of an awkward woman. Between her aptitude for acts so graceless they boggle the mind and an appetite that could easily match some of the smaller beasts of burden, she was far cry from girls like Sakura and Rin. But nonetheless she was still his friend and someone he had known for longer then anyone. The least he could do was humor her innocent request. With a heavy sigh on his lips, and an equally heavy lunchbox held close to his chest, Shirou slowly dragged his feet to the apointed meeting place atop the school's roof and under a cloudless spring sky. Ascending the staircase towards the highest point in the school building, a loud cry echoed through the stair well. "Shirouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu hurry up!" The voice called in a incredibly loud tone. It was Taiga, endearingly obnoxious as ever.

"I'm coming, Fuji-nee!" Shirou yelled in return, finally finding himself within his guardian's line of sight. For all her oddities Taiga was a kind woman, and the smile she wore upon seeing Shirou emerge from the school and into the sunlight reflected that fact all to well. "Were you waiting long?" Shirou asked out of the vast kindness of his heart.

"Not really, I've only been here a few minutes." From the tone of her voice, Shirou had imagined that she had been waiting her for at least half an hour. Though, for Taiga, he imagined that such a short amount of time may have indeed felt much longer, such was her love of food. "But you should sit down already, I want to see what you've brought me!" Shirou complied quickly, sitting beside her and unwrapping a lunchbox containing a home cooked spread of rice, sausage, and various other lunchtime staples, all cooked in amounts roughly 50 percent more then usual, a nod to Taiga's black hole of a stomach . Taiga's eyes in turn sparkled as she gazed over the ,such a glorious feast cooked just for her and Shirou was truly bliss. "This is amazing! Did you really cook all of this for me?" Taiga mused wile summoning all of her willpower to stop herself from setting upon the lunch box like a hungry shark watching over a school of fish.

"Well it is for the both of us," Shirou clarified. "But I'm glad that you like it." Shirou had always held a spot in his heart for Taiga. She was, after all, the woman who had helped him through the hard times just after his adopted father had died all those years ago. And she had always been their to keep him company, even if that company often came at the price of a free meal at the possibility of conflict arising between her and any house-guests who maybe staying over at any given time. In many ways she was like family to him, a goofy big sister who never failed to cheer him up with her often ridiculous antics. Waxing nostalgic in her own mind, Shirou had failed to notice that his gaze had lingered on Taiga's salivating visage for sometime now.

"Shirou..." Taiga said blushing as she dragged herself from the food before her for a moment. "Why are you staring at me? Is something wrong?" Shirou quickly averted his gaze upon realizing what had happened. Though a minor matter, it was embarrassing nonetheless as butterflies turned the teacher's stomach into their own personal playground

"No, I was just thinking about how much you've helped me over the years and got lost in thought for a second." Trying to defuse the tension of the moment, Shirou's words lifted Taiga's spirits enough for her to finally begin the meal that he been so lovingly crafted from scratch for her.

"Is that all? Let just eat all ready!" Taiga soon blocked out any remains of her crimson tinted cheeks by seizing Shirou's home-cooked meal at last and proceeded to stuff as much of it as she could as fast as she could into her eagerly waiting mouth. The taste dance on her tongue, though Shirou's meals were often quite good, being together like this evoked sentimental feelings of years long past when Shirou and her would share meals together like this every day. "This is really good!" Taiga offered in praise of the afternoon's meal before once more attacking the meal at hand. Shirou in nodded in responce, glad that Taiga was enjoying herself, and the food, so much. Now partaking in the meal himself, Shirou joined his "older sister" in devouring their shared lunch.

It didn't take long for the entirety for the meal before them to completely disappear as if by magic, such was the speed of eating perfected by Taiga Fujimaura over thousands of meals and many, many, ears of practice. With a loud, and happy sigh, Taiga returned the vessel in which her meal had come to their rightful owner. "Mmmmmm, that was the best I've had in a long time, Shirou. We really have to do this more often."

"It's the same thing I make all the time, Fuji-nee." Shirou said in a kind manner.

"I know but its so much easier to enjoy it when I'm not fighting with Illya-chan for the best stuff!" Taiga added.

"Oh, Fuji-nee..." Shirou laughed. "But lunch is almost over, I need to get back to class soon."

"Ok. Ok. But, I had fun today." Taiga spoke in a wistful manner, like a schoolgirl fawning over a boy they had crush on. "And I'll see you for dinner tonight!"

"I'm glad your happy." Shirou said as he gathered the meal's utensils and again wrapped them in the sturdy cloth in which they had been encased early that morning. "See you tonight." He offered in parting as he finally made haste to his post-lunch classes. Taiga watched him go, wondering to herself when the small boy she had known so many years ago had grown into such a kind young man.


	3. Dinner date Epilogue

Taiga laid wide awake staring blankly at the ceiling of her small bedroom. Though her mind was typically full of thoughts of her next meal and how to deal with the obnoxious, white-haired, house guest who had been so graciously forced upon her, tonight was different; with each passing rotation of the ceiling fan above her mind stood firmly on Shirou Emiya. Though they had been together since his father's passing nearly half-a-decade ago, she had never really thought of the youth as anything more then the adorable little brother she never had. But things had changed, right under her nose he had become a fine young man who cared for others and asked for nothing in return. There shared lunch a few days prior drove these fact deep into Tagia's brain and refuse to come loose no matter how hard she may mentally pull and pluck at it. Taiga sighed as the sound of birds outside her window began to chirp, signaling the fact that morning was just around the corner.

"Morning already?" Taiga mused with a yawn and stretching of her arms to the ceiling. "Better get ready for class before Shirou yells at me for looking sloppy." Shirou...Her thoughts stopped for a moment. "Why am I so concerned what one of my students thought of me? There just a bunch of brats half the time anyway." Taiga shook her head in an attempt to rattle the answer loose from her the cavernous recesses of her soul. After a moment of searching the answer hit her like a ton of bricks. "This isn't just just any student...It's Shirou." She sighed aloud. _Since when did I care this much about what he thought about me? _Taiga wondered silently to herself. To the best of her knowledge, these thoughts had been rattling around in her skull since she had shared lunch with her favorite student a week or so ago. He had been kind enough to not only make her huge lunch but also to spend his entire lunch period with his teacher. He was becoming a fine adult, that much was for sure, but why did he set her heart aflutter as much as he did. "Oh my..." Taiga said in monotoneshock. "I have a crush on Shirou..." She wanted to shout. She wanted to let loose one of her trademark GAOOOOOOOs, but such emotions never came. Taiga Fujimaura took a bath, dressed herself, and left for school without breakfast that day.

For hours Taiga nervously taught, stumbling her way through the very basics of the English language, hoping that no one in her class would notice that her mind was else where at the moment.

"Sensei!" a female student yelled while raising her hand for attention.

"Y..yes, what is it?" Taiga mumbled under her breath.

"How do you read this word?"

"Um, its pronounced..." She carefully spoke aloud the phrase, being careful not to trip on her own words as if they were live mines.

"Thank you sensei!" The girl cheerfully spoke.

"Right..." murmurs could be heard from the class sitting before her. She hadn't yelled at them at all today nor had she tripped on a object, spun through the air, and declared war on every known law of physics and probability known to mankind. Without unnecessary yelling and clumsiness, Taiga-sensei just wasn't Taiga-sensei. And so the lesson continued awkwardly, with Taiga carefully plotting ever inch of her speech as if to avoid treading upon subjects that lay just below the surface of her conscious mind.

As the bell rang to end yet another day of class, Taiga breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the day was hers to sort out the torrid of emotions whirling in the seat of her soul.

"All right," Taiga spoke to herself as she walked out of class. "Lets get things straight, I think I have a crush on Shirou." Her face turned a deep shade of red as she said it aloud. There were many things wrong with such a statement. The boy was far to young for her and was her student and something of a little brother. But, he was also a kind young man who knew how to treat a girl, could cook better then anyone she had ever known, and had been by her side for the better of a decade. Nor did it help that he reminded her of many of his father's better points. Her head felt as if it was going to split in two. "I guess I should tell him, who knows what will happen if I hold this in much longer." Resolved to solve her own problems before they exploded into a spectacular display of failure and awkwardness, Taiga set off for the Emiya household a woman on a mission.

But, as it often did, the universe at large had other plans for Taiga Fujimaura. Not only had she failed to speak a word about the task at hand, the only thing she declared her love for was Shirou's fried shrimp. Which, to be fair, are very good. After the usual shenanigans associated with dinner at the Emiya household and the usual freeloaders had gone home for the evening, silence hung over the dining room. With all those that may get in the way of her romantic advances, Taiga finally spoke aloud what was bothering her.

"Shirou..." She began nervously "Would you mind if we went someplace just the two of us again sometime?"

"Of course, isn't your birthday coming up? We could go out for dinner or something." Shirou spoke as he finished tiding up the kitchen.

"I'd like that!" Taiga's voice was full of excitement. Though she hadn't done what she had set out to do. Going out to dinner with a boy on your birthday sure sounded like a date to her. "I know a place, we can meet there after school."

"Sounds good! I hope you have a good time, I think you need it. You've sounded kind of down lately, Fuji-nee." Shirou was always watching out for his friends and Taiga was no exception.

"I'll see you soon, Shirou!" Taiga left the Emiya Manor that night with a Shirou's kindness nestled in her mind and his friend shrimp likewise in her belly. Which of those meant more to her was a matter of much contention.

Taiga sat nervously, poking at the steak on her plate as if to see if it was still alive. Across from her, Shirou sat smiling, blissfully unaware of the tension building in his guardian's frantic mind. Though this was supposed to be a happy day spent celebrating the birth of Taiga Fujimaura an unknown number of years ago, as a true lady never reveals her age except in matters of official government record. Instead the evening had become a simple, yet awkward, dinner between friends. With each silent bite of the finely cooked meat laying before her, Taiga's resolve was rebuilt brick by brick. She was going to finish this tonight, even if it killed her.

"How is your steak, Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked.

"It's fine." Taiga mumbled before seeing her opening to finally end this mess. "Um hey, Shirou, do you have a girlfriend?" Taiga braced herself, expecting the worst in return to her query.

"Nah, no one's really caught my attention lately. Why do you ask?" Shirou beamed a surprised look at his dinner partner.

"Well..." Taiga stopped for a moment considering whether to continue with her confession. A quarter of her mind voted to keep silent, while the rest, in classic Taiga fashion, vigorously pushed for CONFESS YOU IDIOT! GAOOOOOOO! "I thought we could start going out or something."

"... I appreciate your feelings, but I just don't think it would work out the way things are now." Shirou patted his teacher on the head and brushed away the tears that had begun to stream down Taiga's face. "Let's wait until I graduate and if you still feel the same way, I guess I can give it a try. Taiga continued to cry, though for a different reason entirely, as she attempted to reach over the table and hug Shirou. True to her nature, in one swift movement the table fell over, hitting the ground with a loud crash. However, in that moment, nothing could possibly make Taiga Fujimaura unhappy.

"I like that idea." Taiga managed while brushing what had been her dinner off her dress. "Till then I'll be your big sister as always. For a moment Shirou didn't answer, instead taking the time to look through a bag that had sat at his feet throughout the night. Then after pausing for a moment, pulled out a small bracelet lined with gems the same color as Taiga's usual green and yellow attire. Without hesitation he placed it on Taiga's lithe wrist.

"Happy Birthday, Taiga-san." Taiga, looking over the bracelet for a moment, latched her arms around Shirou, tears still coursing down her face.

Epilogue: Graduation day.

Several years had past, Shirou had finished school and was hoping to go to college and eventually go into law enforcement. After his graduation ceremony, and greetings from all his closet friends, he went home to the ever familiar manor expecting to have his first night as a high school graduate to himself.

"I'm home." He said to the darkness, not expecting a response.

"Welcome home, Shirou." A kind voice echoed from the kitchen. Shirou jumped, no one should be home at this hour. Dinner was said and done hours ago. Cautiously, he reached for a nearby light switch and flicked it on. The illumination rushed through the house revealing nothing of import, save for a familiar teacher sitting at the low table in front of the kitchen.

"Taiga-san! What are you doing here?" Shirou said, surprised but relived nothing was amiss.

"You promised that we give things a shot when you graduated." She said rising from her seated position. "And you graduated today so... I thought we could give it a shot!" Taiga took Shirou in her arms, and moved in for an intimate lip lock. Moving closer and closer to the moment she had waited the past year for... Only to plant her trembling lips firmly into her beloved's left eye.

"You never change, do you Taiga-san?" Shirou said rubbing his eye. "I like that about you." He then finished the attempted exchange himself, forming a proper union of lips between himself and his former teacher. "And it's good to be home.

END


End file.
